Keith Charles Mohler, whose life was devoted to his twin passions of jazz and animal welfare, died early Tuesday morning at Lancaster Regional Medical Center from complications of lung cancer.

Keith, who lived outside Mountville with his partner Laura Roberts, was 62.

Born in Lancaster, Keith was the son of Gladys Charles Mohler, of Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, and Kenneth Lee Mohler, who died in 2011.

Keith was exceptionally bright and inquisitive, with an acerbic and often self-deprecating wit. He was known by his many friends for his deep sense of loyalty and relentless persistence. Keith loved to be outside, running and biking the winding roads of Manor Township. Though he was frustrated with his teams performance this year, Keith was a devoted Boston Red Sox fan.

In his teen years, he enjoyed playing sports — excelling in riflery — and playing the electric bass in area rock and soul groups.

He graduated from Hempfield High School in 1970. After briefly attending Washington & Lee, Keith then enrolled at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where his musical interest switched to jazz and the upright bass.

During the years immediately after college, Keith toured nationally with several organizations, including the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

Keith then came off the road, beginning to establish himself as one of the leading jazz bassists in the region while developing a second career as a pioneering animal-welfare advocate, becoming an enforcement officer.

Keith worked tirelessly to introduce jazz to area nightspots, establishing long running and highly popular series at places such as the East of Eden (now The Waterfront), the former P.J. Matthews Restaurant downtown and the Eden Resort Inn.

Most recently, he founded a regular jazz series at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square and the ongoing Jazz in the Sky series, held first at the Fulton Opera House and now at the Ware Center. These events brought leading jazz musicians from New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and overseas to Lancaster to perform with rhythm sections anchored by Keith, a steady, responsive and creative player whose presence attracted both fellow musicians and fans.

Keith also was a board member of the Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz, a nonprofit that holds concerts, jam sessions and youth programs, and was instrumental in bringing the CPFJ's annual festival to Lancaster several times.

His second but equal passion was serving as a protector of animal rights, working with the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office to enforce state animal-cruelty prohibitions. Keith became a cruelty investigator for the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 2013.

Before that, he spent 18 years as an animal cruelty officer for the Humane League of Lancaster County. Keith started his work with animals as state-approved humane officer and a worker for Farm Sanctuary, eventually becoming president of its Pennsylvania chapter, calling attention to conditions at the Lancaster Stockyards, the annual live pigeon shoot at Hegins, Schuylkill County, and elsewhere. Keith's contribution and connection to the community were underscored by the public response to a benefit for him at the Ware Center two weeks ago. The event drew nearly 300 people. Keith will be greatly missed by those that knew and loved him.

Memorial service will be private at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Farm Sanctuary, PO Box 150, Watkins Glen, New York 14891 or Pennsylvania SPCA, 350 East Erie Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19134 or Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz, 5721 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg, PA 17112.